FID – Chapter 756

Chapter 756 – It Really Hurts!

Just the gifts delivered by various noble families and villagers had already filled the entire Li family courtyard to the brim—there was barely even space to set foot!

The villagers of Xinghua Village had regarded Liu Yusheng as a lucky child ever since she was little, loving her as if she were their own. Now that she was about to get married, they didn’t see themselves as outsiders. Whenever they had free time, they’d come straight to the courtyard to lend a helping hand.

Whatever needed buying was bought, whatever needed rushing was rushed.

Among the younger generation in the family, aside from Liu Zhixia—who had to leave right after the New Year to oversee the county office in Yunzhou—everyone else stayed behind to help out with the preparations.

Fu Yuzheng was in charge of organizing and sorting all the congratulatory gifts, carefully categorizing and boxing them up.

Liu Muqiu, who had exceptional embroidery skills, had barely left her room since the end of the holiday. She stayed inside, hand-stitching wedding quilts, mandarin duck pillowcases, and more.

As for the wedding dress, she dared not touch that. There was already a complete set included in the dowry the King had prepared, tailored personally by the Royal Shangyi Bureau.

Meanwhile, Grandma Liu, Chen Xiulan, and Du Juan were driving Liu Yusheng to the brink of despair during this time.

Just the face threading alone nearly made her want to die at the hands of her grandmother and mother!

They used fine thread like that used for sewing clothes to pull out tiny, invisible hairs on her face!

The very first pull hurt so badly she burst into tears, crying for her dad and mom like her soul was being torn apart!

Her one and only savior had unfortunately been sent away ahead of time by Grandpa, Dad, and Second Uncle.

By the time he came back, she had already been ‘taken care of.’

It made Feng Qingbai feel so distressed that his face stayed dark all day, and that very evening, Wei Hong and Wei Lan ended up suffering the consequences.

“Feng Qingbai, I never want to go through that kind of torture again—it hurt so much!” Even though it had been three days, Liu Yusheng still had tears in her eyes just thinking about the pain.

She was genuinely traumatized.

If razors existed in this world, she would’ve rather shaved it all off herself—even if that meant coarse, bristly stubble later!

“Does it still hurt?” Feng Qingbai frowned, his fingers gently stroking her porcelain-smooth cheek, not daring to apply any pressure, afraid that even the slightest force might hurt her.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Liu Yusheng shook her head and pressed her cheek into his palm, rubbing it affectionately. “It was just that the face threading really hurt.”

“There won’t be a second time. I didn’t know brides had to go through that sort of thing, or I would’ve stayed by your side and told Grandma and the others right away.”

He truly didn’t know. Otherwise, he would’ve spoken up immediately. Shengsheng didn’t need to go through any of that.

Liu Yusheng sighed mournfully. She hadn’t known either!

Her grandma, mom, and second aunt usually doted on her so much. How could they not? They’d pampered a little village girl like her into the likeness of a noble young lady, hands untouched by even spring water.

But when it came to face threading, they were shockingly ruthless…

“…Does my skin feel smoother than before?” Liu Yusheng suddenly asked. After the threading, she’d touched her face and thought it did seem a bit smoother.

“It’s the same as before,” the man replied, barely holding back a laugh.

“The same? If it’s the same, then what was the point of the threading? I suffered for nothing! I think the skin on my face got torn—”

Before she could finish, a scolding voice came from the doorway, “Alright, enough with the whining over a little threading. You’re still going on? Other girls who care about their looks go through it at least once or twice a year!”

Chen Xiulan walked in holding a tray, followed by Du Juan, and lastly, Grandma Liu.

Seeing the formation, Liu Yusheng immediately went on high alert, every hair on edge. “Grandma, Mom, Second Aunt… what are you planning now?”

Feng Qingbai immediately stepped in front of Liu Yusheng, shielding her with his body. “Grandma, Mom, Second Aunt—it’s only a few days until the wedding. Everything for Shengsheng has already been prepared. There’s really nothing else that needs doing. How about helping out by sorting through the congratulatory gifts from the noble families?”

“There may only be a few days left,” Grandma Liu said as she entered last, “but according to tradition, the bride and groom aren’t allowed to see each other within seven days of the wedding. That’s the rule. Axiu, you can’t come to the back courtyard again. Wait until the wedding day to see her.”

“…” The soon-to-be newlyweds both felt like they were digging their own graves.

Especially Liu Yusheng—she’d already caught sight of the tray Chen Xiulan had put down… it was filled with honey wax!

Her internal alarm was blaring. She grabbed onto Feng Qingbai’s sleeve, teeth chattering.

“Grandma, Mom, Second Aunt—really, there’s no need to ‘fix me up’ anymore! Feng Qingbai doesn’t mind! If you’re bored, go count the wedding gifts! Or my dowry! Or even my private stash of gold!”

“That’s enough, that’s enough. You don’t need to worry about the outside matters—there’s still time,” Grandma Liu said as she stepped forward and began prying Liu Yusheng’s death-grip fingers off Feng Qingbai’s sleeve one by one, cutting off her final lifeline. Ignoring Feng Qingbai’s darkening expression, she herded him out.

“Rules are rules. If they’re not followed, how will you grow old in harmony? Out you go! No more visits before the wedding. Don’t forget!”

“Grandma, I’m going, I’m going—but why don’t you come with me and let Shengsheng rest for a bit—”

“She spends her days eating and sleeping. She’s not getting tired. And don’t you frown like that either. The only thing that hurt was the face-threading. It’s not like we’re going to do that to  Nannan every day.”

The little lovebirds were forcibly separated.

Liu Yusheng watched helplessly as Feng Qingbai was pushed out of the courtyard. She stretched out a desperate hand like Erkang from the dramas, looking utterly heartbroken.

Grandma had hit Feng Qingbai right in the soft spot. Just one line—’If you don’t follow tradition, you won’t grow old together in harmony’—and he was done for.

Back inside, Chen Xiulan was already brushing on the freshly heated honey wax! Meanwhile, Du Juan was adding fresh charcoal to the brazier and moving in to help take off Liu Yusheng’s outer padded jacket!

“Mom, Second Aunt, I—I don’t have any hair on my hands or legs! Really!”

This honey wax hair removal method was something she had once proudly shared with her mother and aunt, like a treasured discovery!

If she had known it would one day be used on herself, she would’ve sewn her mouth shut before ever mentioning it!

No, please—it’s really painful, really painful!

“Aaaooowww!—”

That afternoon, the inner courtyard once again echoed with wails and shrieks, carrying a despair so deep it chilled to the bone.

Feng Qingbai was in despair too.

The moment he heard her first cry, he wanted to charge inside, but the three grown men of the family pinned him down.

They were all elders, so he couldn’t fight back. By the end of the afternoon, he was so angry he had three blisters pop up in his mouth!

This time, Wei Hong and Wei Lan had learned their lesson. They stood right beside him, ready to go through fire and water at his command.

But Feng Qingbai couldn’t give that order—to have Wei Hong and Wei Lan drag those three women out of the inner courtyard?

He’d be thrown out of the Liu family courtyard before he even blinked!

Wei Hong and Wei Lan stood on either side, heads bowed respectfully. Wei Hong’s expression, as always, gave nothing away. But Wei Lan hadn’t mastered his poker face—his eyebrows kept twitching.

This time, their master couldn’t use them as an outlet.

They were here, ready and waiting. If nothing was done, it was because their master gave no command, not because they were slacking.

So the group of six stood frozen outside the inner courtyard all afternoon, until the screaming finally stopped.

The moment the three elders loosened their grip, Feng Qingbai immediately charged inside.

“Axiu! You brat, get back here! You’re not allowed to see each other before the wedding!”